Private school in Udhagamandalam accused of illegally occupying playground meant for govt. school students
The Nilgiris district administration has been urged to restrain a private school from using the playground designated for the students of the government higher secondary
The Nilgiris district administration has been urged to restrain a private school from using the playground designated for the students of the government higher secondary school in Udhagamandalam. A legal notice demanding that the playground be restored to the government school students’ use, as well as a demand to remove any encroachments to the area, was made by a Chennai-based lawyer, who also threatened the district administration with legal action. Lawyer G.
Srujith Krishna, who has issued the legal notice to the district collector, told The Hindu that a government-aided private school near the ATC Junction in Udhagamandalam was illegally occupying and utilising the ground belonging to the Government Higher Secondary School, Udhagamandalam. Krishna said that the Udhagamandalam Municipality (UMC) had initially passed an order allowing the private school to use the playground. The issue was “examined by the Honourable High Court of Judicature at Madras in W.P. No. 26864 of 2021.
By its interim order dated 16.12.2021, the Court recorded that the land belongs to the Government, questioned the basis on which a private school could have been permitted to use it, directed that the playground be reserved exclusively for sports activities of the government school, and ordered the removal of all materials found lying on it,” said Mr. Krishna. He said that despite the order, it had come to his notice that the private school had begun using the ground again without being stopped by the local municipality or the Revenue department.
The lawyer demanded that the private school be restricted from using the ground earmarked for government school students as well as to remove any encroachments, materials and structures from the area. The Nilgiris district collector, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, could not be reached for comment.
The BriefWire